


Mercy of the Fallen

by MoonlightBlizzard



Series: Song of the Flower [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha Dean, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Historical, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Omega Castiel, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Wolf Pack
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-17
Updated: 2016-09-17
Packaged: 2018-05-27 06:25:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6273322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonlightBlizzard/pseuds/MoonlightBlizzard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel is a perfectly obedient omega, just as his Master trained him. He had given up all hope of ever being freed. After all, omegas were made to breed. When his life suddenly was turned around, he had no idea how to react to the Winchester clan, especially his savior, Dean.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Crocus : Abuse not
> 
> Please note that italics either signifies emphasis, or the dialogue in wolf form (as they communicate in wolf form), or a voice in the mind. The wolves' dialogue is marked by 'italics'. Thank you, Trenchcoatinthegarrison, for pointing that out^^

_I am the lover’s gift; I am the wedding wreath_

_I am the memory of a moment of happiness_

_I am the last gift of the living to the dead_

_I am a part of joy and a part of sorrow_

–Khalil Gibran, _Song of the Flower XXIII_

“Present.”

The cold, clinical voice commanded, and Castiel shivered as he struggled to obey. His limbs felt sore, and it hurt to move them. He hadn’t recovered from his last punishment yet.

“ _Faster_ , whore.”

Castiel held back a cry as hard boots kicked him on his side, the blow made it harder to rise into the commanded position. He forced his burning muscles to move, though. He didn’t want any more punishment.

 _Knees together, forehead to the ground_ , he chanted softly, making sure he held the position perfectly. Master would be angry if he held himself wrong, and it would be very unwise to anger Master. Gingerly, Castiel reached back and spread his cheeks, presenting his still dripping hole to Master.

“Hold.”

His left side was already burning, but he did his best to ignore the pain. He could hold this position for however long Master ordered him to, though thankfully the man could never hold himself from touching the omega for long. Already, he felt Master’s sweaty hands on his hips, and he braced himself for the inevitable burn as the man slide in, and split him open.

Grunts and moans filled the dark, dank cellar. Castiel tried his best to keep still, moving his hands to the sides of his head to keep him from rocking back and forth to the force of Master’s thrusts. Another of Master’s rule: he only needed to hold the presenting position until the alpha slide into his hole. He felt Master’s knot started catching on his rim as it swelled, and bit back a whimper. He hated being knotted the most. On rare days when Master was in a good mood, the man would simply lay with him, more often than not crushing his small body underneath. Then Castiel would have to endure an hour of the man’s insults, slaps, and felt loads and loads of Master’s cum filling his passage. But usually the alpha would simply forced his knot out of Castiel’s hole, tearing his rim in the process, ignoring his cries of agony.

It seemed that time is the latter. After satisfying himself, Master started tugging on his rim, grabbing on his hips. Castiel tried biting his lips to stop himself from screaming as a horrible _burn, tear, blood, burn_ assaulted him. The swollen knot was too big.

With a grunt, Master jerked himself off of him, pushing his hips as leverage. A scream tore out of Castiel as he felt his rim tore – again. He should be used to the pain by now, but he could never help himself. Master walked out of his basement, slamming the door shut and engulfing him in darkness once again.

Castiel slumped to the ground, and curled in on himself, sobbing weakly. His sides and back burned from earlier abuse, and his hole was throbbing. Master had forgotten to give him some food again. Trying to ignore his hunger, pain, and this dark, black feeling he’d always felt, Castiel turned his mind inwards, and shut the world out.

~*:*:*:*~

The smell of warm blood lured him forward, chasing his prey. The thrill of adrenaline rushing in his veins made him feel high. This right here is his favorite part of the hunt. The feel of damp ground beneath his strong, sure paws, the sounds of the forest alive in his ear, not to mention the _smells_. Rich earth, damp bark, sharp pine, oh he’d just passed a fungi colony from the cloying scent. And of course, the warm, pulsing scent of prey.

The deer was fast, but he was no ordinary hunter. He knew that even at full speed, his prey would still be faster than him – curse those nimble legs! – so he would have to outwit the animal. Which should be easy enough.

There was an outcropping of rocks slightly to his left, and the deer was running right underneath it. He let out a triumphant howl, as a blur of brown jumped from behind the ledge, and tackled the deer. The animal let out a bleat of pain as sharp fangs tore into its flank. It stumbled to the ground, and he rushed forward, to help with the kill.

Once the animal was dead, he started dragging it back towards his territory. He felt his load lighten as the brown wolf snagged onto a leg, and helped him.

The familiar sight of towering grey stones, pillars, and the unmistakable sense of _pack_ greeted him as he trotted out of the forest behind the castle. Together, they heaved the deer proudly into the backyard, and left their load in front of the kitchen door. Then he turned and grinned at the other wolf.

Sam was cleaning his snout – the prissy boy – and rolled his eyes at Dean as he barked.

_'Well... that was easy. Nice timing Sammy.'_

His brother snorted. ' _Easy my ass. We were just lucky it ran my way. You wouldn’t be able to catch the deer otherwise.'_

Dean snorted. ' _Of course I-'_

_'DEAN WINCHESTER!'_

Dean flinched as he felt the words slammed into his mind, and had to resist the urge to sneeze as the sharp pepper scent of Jo’s anger hit him.

The small black wolf barreled out of the kitchen door, and slammed into him. Her momentum was enough to push his larger body down, and he found himself looking at a black snout full of bared fangs.

_'You jerk! You promised to take me with you!'_

He couldn’t help himself. He sneezed. In the background he could feel Sam laughing at his distress. That bitch.

_'Jo. Quit drooling in my face.'_

_'Like hell I will!'_ she snapped at him. ' _Is this because of my status? Afraid I can’t handle myself? That this teeny tiny little omega might hurt herself hunting? You discriminative, lying-'_

He’d had enough. He pushed her off of him, and when she tackled him again, they rolled around the yard, snapping and growling at each other. ' _No! You know I never thought of you that way!'_

Jo had just turned 16 last month, and she finally presented, surprisingly, as an omega. With her fiery, headstrong attitude, they always assumed she’d be an alpha. Needless to say, it was a shock to everyone, herself the most. Dean did his best to treat her the same as always, he knew that omegas aren’t dumb, useless breeding bitches. His pack was more progressive in that aspect than most other packs out there. But it was hard to ignore his protective instincts. She was practically her little sister, and even though he knew, intellectually, that she could handle herself just fine, he simply couldn’t help himself.

He’d claimed it was because Jo’s newly developed scent made him feel queasy. Which was true, to an extent. He very much preffered the milk, cherry, and sun scent she’d had as a pup – a combination between her parents’ scent and the unique scent of a pup – than her true scent. It wasn’t bad, it was just so... spicy.

 _'Jo, he doesn’t mean to leave you behind,'_ Sam started in a placating tone, always the peacemaker. ' _He’s just overprotective. You know how he is.'_

 _'Damn right I do,'_ she snarled, twisting and lunging at him, trying to gain an upper hand.

Dean was about to make a smart retort when someone upended a bucket of cold water on both wolves. He yelped in shock and whirled around to face the offender, only to come face to face with a glowering Ellen.

Though he knew Ellen loved him as if he was her own, he still feared her wrath. So he sat back and lolled his tongue, trying to look as innocent as possible. From the corner of his eye, he saw Jo did the same.

“Behave, children. Dean, your father was looking for you. Shift before you enter the castle. You reek of wet dog,” she said sternly.

Dean rolled his eyes, because, hey it wasn’t his fault he was wet! But Ellen’s scent turned sweeter – saccharine sweet – and he knew it was a sign of danger. So he barked a confirmation, and gracefully bounded to the castle’s main entrance, leaving Sam and Jo behind. He _wasn’t fleeing_ , he was simply eager to do his duty as a good son.

He gave himself a good shake to rid of the water, and then he shifted.

Shifting wasn’t exactly painful, but it wasn’t a peasant feeling either. As soon as he was on two legs again, he stretched unashamedly. Nudity is something that the shifters community had accepted as necessary, since they didn’t shift with their clothes, and it is wasteful to shred clothes every time they shifted. It took weeks to make new clothes, after all.

He jogged to a changing room located just west of the castle foyer, built so the pack could have their clothes within easy reach. Inside the room there was rows upon rows of shelves, and he took his clothes from where he’d deposited them this morning. He put on his comfortable cotton pants and shirt, and headed to his father’s office.

~*:*:*:*~

Castiel jerked awake to the sound of the metal doors clanging, and scrambled to kneel on the floor. He squinted against the bright lights when Master opened his door, and lowered his head demurely. Surprisingly, Master didn’t come down today. He simply threw a piece of bread and then left again, for which Castiel was extremely grateful.

Slowly, he crawled forward on his stiff limbs and picked the bread. The chain attached to his collar clanging noisily as he moved, breaking the black silence of the cellar. He gave the bread a cursory sniff, and to his immense joy, found no scent of decay. Nibbling happily, he perused his condition.

He couldn’t clearly remember his past, but he knew he’d had a family before. A close friend. He wasn’t sure how long Master had had him, but he felt like it had been a lifetime ago. He’d presented quite early, at the age of 14, and no one was really surprised when he’d presented as an omega. He supposed he’d always been shy and submissive. He had cried when he found out his gender, because even young as he was, he knew what kind of future an omega had. He remembered a beloved brother, hugging him, tucking him in at nights, and promising him ' _it will all be just fine, Cassie. I would never let anything happen to you.'_

And his own voice, filled with the innocence he no longer had, ' _Promise?'_

_'Pinky promise. I will drink poison if I ever break this.'_

A pout. ' _I don’t want you to drink poison, Gabriel. It would hurt you, and your skin will be all green and_ weird _. I don’t want that.'_

A warm, loving laugh. ' _Don’t worry, Cassie. Just sleep now.'_

As he’d slipped into slumber, he thought he’d heard his brother, saying ' _You will be okay, Cassie. I swear it on my life.'_

His heart ached with longing, but he quickly stomped on the feeling. He couldn’t afford to remember, he couldn’t afford to hope that he would be rescued. It was clear he would stay here with Master until the day he died.

After he finished eating, he crawled to the corner of his cellar, where a chamberpot and a washing bucket had been placed. He drank the water from the bucket, careful not to let it dripping from his fingers as best as he could. Then he wiped his body, hissing as the water touched his fresh wounds. Master would want him to stay clean.

Castiel admitted that he felt better when he was clean, and he slowly crawled back to what he had dubbed as his sleeping corner. Embedded on the nearby wall was a metal ring, where Master had tied his chain. He crawled underneath it, making sure the chain was slack, and sighed as he laid down on his right side. His left flank had turned yellow from where Master kicked him, and it was tender to the touch. Not to mention his half-healed back. Closing his eyes, he tried to rest. Knowing he would need it.

~*:*:*:*~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first work here, so please be kind :). I need a beta reader, so if you're interested, please leave a comment! I will make a companion piece detailing this universe if necessary.  
> Comment and kudos are greatly appreciated!


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rhododendron: Beware of danger
> 
> Please see [my notes](http://archiveofourown.org/series/428683) for more details on the universe. Adam is Mary's son here, to fit with the universe I've planned.

 

 

_A few days ago..._

“We are going on a trip,” Master said jovially, while Castiel sucked him off.

Castiel could feel equal measures of dread and joy. Sometimes, Master would go on lengthy trips that could last weeks, and he would take Castiel with him – either in a cage, placed inside an ox wagon, or tied to a mule, or whatever livestock Master took with his party to carry their things. But that was the only time he could smell fresh air, feel the sun on his skin, and see the world outside his dark, dank, smelly cellar. However, Master would always share Castiel with his traveling companions. His body would be sore for days after each journey, and sitting would be impossible.

Master’s thrusts became more forceful – deeper, faster – and Castiel concentrated on breathing through his nose, relaxing his throat. He had to swallow every last drop of Master’s come, else he would be given five strikes from the cane. His back and flank was better after his short respite, but he couldn’t afford to get another beating. Of course, Master could still beat him just because, but he wouldn’t give Master a reason to punish him.

Master stood, and put on his cotton pants. Castiel remained kneeling on the floor. _Eyes downcast, neck bared,_ he reminded himself.

Master reached down, and unbuckled his collar. “Shift.”

The command surprised him, but he obeyed immediately. It had become an automatic response now.

Shifting was painful. Castiel wasn’t allowed to shift without permission, and his wolf side had been greatly suppressed. Now, he forced his wolf to wake, taking over his human side. It was a long, hard, and painful process. His soul rebelled against itself, and he had to clung to every last thread of sanity in order to pull through the transformation. Finally, he felt his bones break and realigned itself, fur grew and covered his skin. And panting on the cellar floor was a small, black wolf.

At this rate, he knew he was going to lose his mind soon.

He closed his eyes, trying to get his body in control. His senses were so much sharper in his wolf form, especially his olfactory. The smell of sweat, blood, urine, excrement, and most of all, _sex_ assaulted his nose. Those smells had been his home for the last few years. And most of all, he could smell Master’s iron, moss, and rust. Scents he’d associated with fear, pain, and humiliation.

“Stand.”

Castiel shakily stood on his four legs. He felt another leather collar encircles his neck, complete with another iron chain as a leash. Master then tied more leather ropes around his muzzle, pulled it tight, and tied it onto his collar, forcing him to look down, and he couldn’t open his muzzle to bit anyone. Not that Castiel would even dare to attempt it.

Master then tied his four legs with more knots, making sure it had enough slack so he could walk, but he couldn’t stretch his legs long enough to run. At the most, he could do an awkward trot, but he knew he would never be able to escape. For the final touch, Master inserted a wooden phallus up his hole, making him whimper slightly.

Master stood and admired his handiwork. Chuckling, he tugged on Castiel’s chain, and he followed meekly, stumbling every now and then.

Castiel felt extremely vulnerable. His wolf form was supposed to be stronger than his human one, as it was the default fighting form. But since he’d been captured, his wolf was always tied up, defenseless, and completely under Master’s mercy. It went against his nature, and that, along with Master’s other _training_ , messed with the balance of his soul.

Master led him up his cellar stairs, and he struggled to lift his paws to climb the steps. Master only pulled harder on his chains, and he choked as the collar compressed his airflow.

As he was led out of his cellar into the kitchen, he had to close his eyes, as the light was blinding. He felt Master led him out, and for the first time in months, he breathed fresh air.

~*:*:*:*~

Dean could feel his hackles rose when he entered John’s office. An agitated alpha never smells good, especially to other alphas, such as himself. His father was standing in front of their strategy table, with Bobby and Rufus by his side. Thank God they are both betas, so their scents were muted. But Dean, who has a nose more sensitive than most, could still smell the undertones of rusty anger and the smoky scent of their worry.

John Winchester has a council of six wolves. Bobby, Rufus, Ellen, Pamela, Chuck, and of course Mary, John’s mate, and Pack Omega. Bobby and Rufus, the paranoid duo, handles their defense and military prowess. Ellen and Mary is in charge of their internal affairs. Pamela is the pack healer and seer, and Chuck is John’s scribe.

John looked up when he entered, and Dean lowered his eyes respectfully, as a recognition of the Pack Alpha. “Father, you summoned me?”

“Dean,” his father’s gravelly voice greeted him, “We have a situation.”

He approached the strategy table. On it, there was their territory map, with their borders highlighted in red ink. The Winchesters’ lands was vast, acres upon acres of land under their command. His ancestors had built eight sentry post, one on each cardinal direction. In John’s rule, he had forged and renewed alliances with packs along their borders, ensuring peace and safety upon their people. Though some packs were more cooperative than others.

Dean frowned as he studied the map. Some pieces made of painted wood littered the map. They symbolizes the sentry posts, wolves on border patrol duty, and some pieces that stood for wolves not from their pack. On one of their eastern sentry post, there were clusters of yellow.

“What is the Novak pack doing in our land?” he asked.

“Hell if we know,” Bobby grouched. “Benny came back to the castle this morning, injured. He reported 5 wolves, bearing the Novak crest, demanding entry to our lands.”

“Wait. Benny is injured?” Dean said, alarmed. Benny was his best friend, the two of them were of the same age, so they were nursed, trained, and grew up together.

“He is fine. It isn’t life-threatening,” Rufus cut in. “Pamela is tending to him as we speak.”

Dean exhaled in relief. Pamela was their healer, and she was excellent at what she does. Benny was in good hands.

“Back to the matter at hand,” John reminded them. “Those wolves demanded entry to our lands, for reasons they weren’t willing to reveal. Benny’s garrison refused them, of course. That’s when they attacked.”

“Our side suffers no casualties, but one of them died. They returned to their land to tend to their fallen comrade,” Bobby continued.

“The question is, _what_ exactly is their intention?” Rufus said, serious as always. “I believe this is not a light matter. Those wolves were all alphas, according to Benny. I say they are on a mission.”

Bobby nodded, “That much is obvious.”

“But what is their mission? And does it affect our pack?” John questioned soflty. “And that is not our only problem.” He pointed toward their southern border. “Bella sent a courier last night. She said there is a skirmish in one of the southern villages. It looks like Crowley’s wolves again.”

“Ugh, I hate those leeches,” Bobby grimaced. “Damn raiding parties.”

“We should send some wolves to deal with them,” Dean suggested hopefully, itching for some adventure. “I can go.”

John studied him. “What is your plan?”

“Fight them, drive them from our lands back to their own hellish territory. Protect the pack.”

Rufus scoffed. “One of these days, your carelessness will be the death of you, boy.”

“Nevertheless,” John cut in before Dean could retort. “It is an emergency. Bella asked for backup, and I’ve been meaning to send you and Sam to deal with it. The Novak situation is new, but I think we should send them a letter of inquiry first, before jumping into conclusions.”

“We should also shore up our defense in the east,” Bobby suggested. “At least we should send some replacement for Benny while he’s healing.”

“How about Cole?” Rufus suggested.

“He’s strong, but I don’t think he is experienced in leading a group. What do you think of Jody?” Bobby countered.

“She’s good,” John said. “Alright, we will send her.”

“Why don’t you send Cole and Claire with her, too? This is an excellent opportunity to learn,” Dean suggested.

“Yes, good idea. Rufus, please inform them of our decision. Tell Jody she can pick five more wolves to help,” John commanded.

Rufus nodded, and went out of the office.

“Dean, who are you going to take?”

Dean considered the situation carefully. “How many wolves are we going to face?”

“Excellent question,” John nodded approvingly. “According to Bella’s report, it’s quite a large raiding party, around eleven.”

“Bella already has seven wolves with her,” Dean counted. “But they must be tired, and perhaps wounded. Can we spare ten wolves?”

Bobby shook his head. “Our forces are spread right now. At most, we can only spare eight.”

Dean nodded. “Alright, I’ll take Sam, Jo, Adam, Garth, Charlie, Alex, Gordon, and myself. That’s eight.”

Dean know that all the wolves he picked were capable fighter, even though Adam and Alex were still young.

John nodded. “Alright. They are not on patrol duty right now. You leave in the evening.”

“Yes father,” Dean gave him a short bow, then turned to gather his team.

~*:*:*:*~

Dean crouched behind the trees, alert and ready. His team had arrived at the southern sentry post late last night, and after a good night’s rest to freshen up, they were ready for action.

Bella was an aggressive wolf, with a coat that reminded Dean of copper, shiny and sleek. She had updated him on the situation, and together, they had formed a strategy. They had agreed to ambush the raiding party on a forest path between the farming village and its neighboring settlement. Their enemy would be slow, as they had to carry their loots. If all went well, they would kill those thieves, and returned their loot to the villagers.

Currently, he and his team were waiting for the party to pass, and on the other side of the path, Sam was with Bella, leading the other team. They made sure they were downwind, so their enemies couldn’t smell them. Garth had scouted ahead earlier this morning, locating and marking the party’s route. They were ready.

The wind blew, and Dean could smell a faint mixture of iron, sweat, blood, and many other individual scents. He grinned, baring his long, sharp fangs, they were close.

~*:*:*:*~

Castiel slept fitfully in the cart, having changed back to his wolf form after servicing Master’s party last night. He was laying in a small cage, completely bound, surrounded by sacks of food and riches Master had brought back. He could feel every bump as the ox pulled the cart along the rocky, uneven road.

His hole was still bleeding sluggishly. Last night, Master had bent him over a trunk, and let two men mount him at once, while he sucked on the third. It was the first time he ever had two cocks up his ass, and he was wholly unprepared for the tearing pain. He had screamed and screamed, struggling in vain, before finally passed out in exhaustion and pain.

He had been kicked awake this morning, and ordered to shift again for the journey. After tying him up like every time he shifted, he was thrown into a cage, and then they were on their way.

Soft breeze filled the cart, caressing him. He inhaled deeply, trying to ignore the foul scent of his travelling companions, the dusty musk of the cart, and savoring the living scent of the forest.

Suddenly, he felt the wind change, and it carried new smells. He froze.

_Alphas._

_Danger._

~*:*:*:*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @Lilymoony16: Thank you for being the first reviewer! As requested: Cas gets rescued this chapter, even though I don't think this is what you had in mind... ;)
> 
> Reviews and kudos are greatly appreciated! If you see any grammatical or spelling errors, or plot inconsistency, or just anything that bothers you, please point it out :) I'm still looking for a beta reader, so if you're interested, please comment!


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Columbine: Anxious and trembling
> 
> Please see [my notes](http://archiveofourown.org/series/428683) for more details on the universe.

Dean snarled as the raiding party entered his line of sight. They were seven men, thank God they weren’t in their wolf form, otherwise they might have smelled Dean and his team. Six were walking, while the last one was steering an ox wagon, which – Dean guessed – carried loots they raided from the village.

Suddenly, the wind changed direction, leaving Dean and his wolves upwind.

_Shit._

Dean saw those men tensed, no doubt they had smelled them. With a howl, Dean leaped from behind the bushes, attacking the raiding party.

Howls erupted from Bella and Sam as well, and suddenly the forest was filled with the sounds of battle. Dean tackled the man in front of him, which he guessed was the leader of the enemy party, and aimed to tear his throat out. Unfortunately, the man was quick. He crouched down, and Dean sailed over him.

Landing on his paws, Dean whirled around, and found himself face-to-face with a bulky grey wolf. The man had shifted.

Dean wasted no time. He feinted to the left. The other wolf was took his bait, and when he changed his stance to anticipate Dean’s move, he left his right flank undefended. Dean took his chance, and he felt warm blood swelled into his mouth as he tore a chunk out of the other. The wolf yelped in pain, and tried retaliated. Dean quickly jumped out of the way.

The other wolf was enraged, and he wasted no time in attacking. They rolled around, snapping and growling at each other. Even though his enemy was wounded, he was still a good fighter, and Dean had a hard time against him. Dean yelped when he felt the other bit him on his right flank, and he struck out, scratching Ugly Grey’s muzzle.

The fight was bloody, and Dean reveled in adrenaline rush. It didn’t last long, though. Two wolves from Bella’s post rushed to help him, distracting his enemy. Dean managed to sank his fangs in Ugly Grey’s throat, and with a powerful twist, snapped his neck.

Panting, Dean stood over his fallen enemy. All around him, he saw wolves fighting each other. Sam and Bella were tearing apart a brown wolf. Charlie, Garth, and Alex – the young ones – worked together against two tawny wolves, and the wolves who had helped Dean turned towards them. Adam was biting a pudgy grey wolf, and he recognized two other wolves under Bella’s command fighting with his youngest brother. It seemed like they had the situation under control. Dean inwardly beamed. His father would be proud of his work.

Gordon was nowhere to be seen, but there a dead man – the wagon driver, torn apart beside the wagon. The ox was also dead, and Dean growled in disgust. Gordon had killed the beast.

But where was Gordon?

~*:*:*:*~

Castiel trembled inside the cage. He could hear the frightening sounds of wolves fighting outside.

All of a sudden, the wagon lurched. His yelped as the cage was jostled. Heart pounding, he listened as a man screamed in pain outside. When the man’s screams was cut off, he knew that he was dead.

Castiel couldn’t even feel relieved that one of his tormentors was gone. All he could feel was mind-numbing fear. He could hear the killer panting outside, then the wolf was padding around the wagon. With a light jolt, a black wolf jumped inside.

The wolf stank of alpha pheromones, and Castiel’s stomach lurched. He couldn’t move – Master had tied him up well, and he could only close his eyes and whimpered as the heady scent of lust washed over him.

The black wolf growled, and padded closer. Suddenly Castiel was grateful for the cage. The wolf couldn’t mount him, not when he’s locked outside.

Apparently, the wolf came to the same conclusion, and he shifted. The man had dark skin, and even darker eyes, pupils blown wide with lust.

“You smell so good, little Omega bitch,” the man growled. “So good, so ripe. And you’re all tied up in there. Don’t worry, I’ll get you out. Then I’ll pound into you so hard you’ll feel it for _days_.”

Castiel trembled as the man pulled the hatch that locked the door. Master didn’t have any need for locks, seeing as there was no way Castiel could open the cage himself. He felt rough hands around his hind legs, and the man dragged him out.

“There you are,” the man growled, and he felt his tail being pulled aside, showing his red, abused hole. “Looks like you like it a little rough, huh? Bet you’ll moan like the bitch you are when I give you my knot.”

Castiel clenched his eyes shut, whimpering, as the man roughly shoved three fingers into his hole.

“So sloppy,” the man tsked, and Castiel felt shame curling in his stomach from the man’s words.

“I saved you from those vile men, little bitch,” the man said. “I’ll take your silence as payment, are we clear?”

 _Silence?_ Castiel was confused. He didn’t understand what the man meant, but he knew he had to obey nonetheless, so he tried his best to nod.

“Good.”

Castiel could feel a displacement in the air as the man shifted, once again a big wolf. He steeled himself for the inevitable burn as the other mounted him.

~*:*:*:*~

Dean padded over to the wagon, guessing that Gordon would try to take some of the villagers’ belongings, as payment for their efforts.

Gordon was an exceptional fighter, and he was loyal to the kingdom. But Dean had always disliked him. He’d only chosen to take Gordon on this trip because he knew Gordon’s skills would come in handy.

He could hear scuffling sounds from the wagon, and he inwardly sighed.

Suddenly he caught a whiff of _distress_ , and he froze in surprise. _What the–_

Dean leaped into the wagon, and he saw red.

Gordon was crouching over a bound black wolf, undoubtedly an omega, ready to mount him. The poor thing was trembling, eyes closed in anticipation.

Dean growled, and lunged at Gordon. Gordon turned in surprise, and Dean slammed into him, sending him crashing through the canvas wall of the wagon.

 _Gordon! Behave!_ Dean sent that thought as hard as he can.

The black wolf snarled, too furious for words.

 _Damn,_ Dean thought to himself.

 _I need some help here,_ he broadcasted the thought to the others.

 _What happened, Dean?_ Sam asked, his worry evident.

Gordon lunged at him, Dean found himself too distracted to answer. Thankfully, Sam was very fast. He slammed into Gordon, sending him off of Dean.

Soon, Gordon was surrounded by their group. He snarled, but Dean could tell that he knew he was defeated. Even Gordon couldn’t take all of them at once.

_Sam, I’ll leave you to handle this. I’m going to shift._

He could feel Sam’s mental sigh. _Sure. But I expect a full explanation later._

Dean sent his agreement, and returned into the wagon.

He jumped silently, and slowly approached the quivering mess.

 _Hey,_ he said, gently as not to startle the omega. _It’s okay, he’s gone. You’re safe now._

He could still smell the omega’s fear, and so he tried to make himself as nonthreatening as possible.

 _I’m going to free you, okay?_ Dean thought. _What’s your name?_

_... Castiel, Alpha..._

The other’s thought was meek, and he was surprised at the wording.

_Nice to meet you, Castiel. I’m Dean._

He was now crouched beside Castiel, close enough to get a whiff of the omega’s scent. Underneath the fear, there was a distinct scent of pine, honey, and fire, that made Dean feel so content, like he had come home.

_It can’t be..._

~*:*:*:*~ 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suck at writing fighting scenes...
> 
> What do you think? Please comment and leave kudos ;)


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hibiscus: delicate beauty
> 
> Please see [my notes](http://archiveofourown.org/series/428683) for more details on the universe.

When God created shifters, He’d made them in pairs. One soul, split into two. The traditional belief was that the soul-bonded pair was an alpha-omega, and beta-beta pair. But the traditional belief also viewed omegas as a lesser being, and that was proof that _that_ view was a load of horse dung.

So the Winchesters had long since abandoned that view.

In Dean’s grandfather’s time, he had converted the people’s view on omegas. The story was, he’d loved his mate too much to let anyone treated her like she was nothing more than a broodmare. He’d also announced that what had been considered deviated pairs – such as the homosexual alpha-alpha, omega-omega, and the alpha-beta, beta-omega pairs – as legal, and that had brought relief for the people, because in the past, those pairs suffered from social prejudices. They had been discriminated, because it was believed that their bond went against God’s will.

One belief remained unchanged over the decades, that shifters mate for life. During some point in their lives, an adult shifter would found his/her true mate, and they would _know_ , for it was said that their mates would smell like _home_.

Some mates met as early as soon as they’d presented, like John and Mary. They were childhood friends, and as soon as Mary had presented, John had taken one whiff at her, and he’d went down on one knee. Some, like Bobby, hadn’t meet their mates yet.

This wasn’t always a happy thing, though. Dean remembered Rufus, who’d found his mate for all of five minutes, before loosing her. She had been a raiding victim, and one of the enemy had grievously wounded her. Rufus had went on a mission such as the one Dean was on, and he’d found her lying on a road, bleeding to death from a stomach wound.

Rufus had never been the same afterwards.

And now, here was Castiel, whose scent was absolutely _divine_. Dean couldn’t help himself. He buried his nose in Castiel’s scent gland, and took a long, deep breath. His scent reminded Dean of Christmas. He’d curled in front of the castle’s biggest fireplace, with his family and friends around him, trading gifts and devouring sweets.

Castiel whimpered, and Dean was jolted back to the present.

_‘Castiel... I’ll cut you free, okay? Don’t be afraid... I_ won’t _hurt you’,_ Dean sent as much honesty and vehemence as he can into that last thought.

_‘... yes, Alpha.’_

Dean frowned. It looked like Castiel had been brought up in the traditional way, where omegas had to practically worship alphas. He’d had to show Cas that he wasn’t some knothead, self-absorbed alpha, who treated omegas like trash. His mother raised him better than that.

He shook himself. He could get to know his mate later. Right now, he’d have to free him first. That thought froze Dean for a while. It had been so easy, almost _too_ easy, to accept Cas as his mate. And where did that nickname came from anyway?

Dean looked him over, and bristled in rage.

_‘Who had done this to you?’_

_‘Master, Alpha.’_

What the...? Then Dean noticed that Cas was trembling even more, obviously distressed to smell his anger. He took a deep breath, and looked at Cas’s bindings with an analytical mind.

The ropes around his muzzle would have to be taken off in his human form, but he could bite the ones around his legs, and they could get back to the village to find a blacksmith for that God-awful collar. He’d informed the omega of such, and set to work. The ropes around Cas’s legs gave easily enough under his sharp fangs, and then he’d shifted.

“All right, Cas...” he said gently. “I’ll touch your legs, okay?”

The omega was looking at him with terrified eyes, and the air was so thick with fear. He’d have to tread lightly so he wouldn’t scare his mate off.

When he’d untied the knots, he reached for Cas’s muzzle, and the omega stiffened.

“It’s okay...” Dean murmured. “I’ll just untie this damn thing... I won’t hurt you... You’re safe.”

He murmured comforting things all the while he worked, and it looked like Cas was slowly realizing that Dean wasn’t hurting him. The omega was still tense, but at least he wasn’t trembling as hard as before.

Whatever had happened to Castiel, it was bad enough to make him such a fearful omega. With a sinking heart, he’d realized what those bandits must have done, not to mention what Gordon had attempted minutes before.

“Cas... I’ll have to check your... um... your hole, okay? Gordon might’ve hurt you...” Dean blushed.

Understandably, Cas started shaking again, but he bravely nodded. Dean took a deep breath, then he pulled Cas’s dark tail aside, revealing his hole.

“Shit.” Dean cursed. It looked like someone had torn his hole apart. Blood and small lacerations crusted the edges, and Dean nearly threw up when he saw that someone had shoved a wooden thing inside.

“Cas...” his voice shook, “I’ll take it out, okay? We can’t leave that... thing... inside. It might infect your wounds...”

He’d reached to pull the wooden base, and Cas jumped, and immediately started trembling again.

“Hey, hey... It’s okay... it’s over now. I won’t hurt you... I’m so sorry, but I had to do this,” Dean let out a relieved sigh as he pulled the wooden phallus out. It was covered in blood and cum, but he couldn’t find any pus, so he’d take that as a good sign. “See? There. It’s done...”

~*:*:*:*~

Castiel couldn’t stop shaking. The alpha hadn’t hurt him so far, but he’d taken out the phallus, and that meant he would mount Castiel soon.

_Please, please, please...._

He knew begging was useless, but he couldn’t help himself. The alpha had freed him of his bindings, but he knew that didn’t mean anything. Alpha would still mount him, and he couldn’t do a thing to stop him.

Over his panic, he’d heard the alpha said some things in a gentle tone, but there was a roaring in his ears, and he couldn’t make out what the man was saying. He hoped it wasn’t an order, though he couldn’t have imagined what else the alpha was saying to him. He tried to listen to the alpha, but he just couldn’t focus.

He was going to be punished again. He just knew it.

Then he felt the alpha shifted once more, and felt the other wolf laying down next to him, calling to him in his mind.

_‘Cas... it’s okay... it’s all over now, okay? I won’t touch you again if you don’t want to...’_

The words were gentle, but he knew what his answer must be.

‘ _I... I want to, alpha...’_

He could smell the other's shock, then concern.

‘ _Hey, it’s okay... you can’t be ready for that... and please stop calling me alpha, Cas. It’s okay... please don’t be afraid... I won’t hurt you...’_

There’s that sentiment again, and there was something about the alpha that made Castiel feel like he could trust him, but he knew better. Sometimes, one of the alphas he’d had to please would be kind, wouldn’t hurt him as Master always did, but in the end it alphas were only interested in fucking him to the ground.

But the alpha had given him an order, and Castiel would do his best to obey. ‘ _Yes... master?’_

_‘No! I’m not your master, okay? Just call me Dean...’_

Oh. The alpha – Dean – had wanted an illusion of intimacy. Okay, then. Castiel would be good. He’d moaned the name, pretended to be the man’s mate... _What’s that?_

Dean had bared his neck, and Castiel’s instinct screamed at him to scent the alpha. Castiel wanted so badly to do so, but he was still afraid.

**_‘_ ** _Alp–Dean?’_

_‘Yes, Cas?’_

_‘May I... May I scent you?’_

Castiel cringed, waiting for Dean to lash out at him for such a bold request, but to his surprise, it never happened.

_‘Of course, Cas.’_

If anything, Dean sounded – and smelled – happy at that. Weird. But he’d had permission, now, and so he hesitantly moved to scent Dean. Immediately, he got a noseful of sun, salt, and wet bark.

Castiel gasped, and his head spun. He remembered running through the beach as a pup, with his brothers and sisters by his side, playing and laughing. He remembered his old life, before everything was taken away from him. He remembered... feeling happy and _safe_.

With a start, Castiel realized that he’d unconsciously nuzzled Dean’s neck, where the scent gland was located.

_‘I... I’m sorry, alpha! Please forgive me! I–’_

‘ _Hey, hey, hey... It’s okay, Cas! Really, it’s fine. Nothing’s wrong, really!’_ Dean hurried to comfort him.

When he was just a pup, Gabriel used to read stories of the wolves to him. His favorite was the one about mates. Castiel knew that wolves mate for life, that once a claiming bite was made, the pair was bonded together, and that bond could never be broken. He knew that that was why Master and all those alphas had never bitten him, and for that he was thankful.

He knew what Dean’s scent meant, but he had to be sure.

_‘Alp–Dean,’_ he quickly corrected himself. _‘A-are we... are we m-mates?’_

He felt the other wolf gently nuzzled him, and that amazing scent filled the air around him, making him feel like he was inside a cocoon of safety. _‘Yeah, Cas...’_

Castiel looked down, inwardly panicking. What was his mate like? He had always thought he would spend the rest of his life with Master, but there had been a small sliver of hope, that one day, he would get away. But there was no getting away from this. He would be bound to Dean until death parted them, and he hoped with all his heart that Dean wasn’t like Master, or like those alphas who had used him. Even if Dean was cold and aloof like his father, Bartholomew, he would be grateful.

_But that scent..._

Dean had been gentle so far with Castiel, and his scent made him feel so safe, like he could finally stop being so afraid all the time. Like there was finally a light at the end of the dark tunnel Castiel was in.

Could Dean really be different?

~*:*:*:*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @Adah: Here it is, an update on Thursday! I hope you enjoyed it ;)
> 
> How was it? Do you think I need a beta reader? Please comment!


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Convolvulus : Bonds
> 
> Please see [my notes](http://archiveofourown.org/series/428683) for more details on the universe.

Dean contemplates his fate as he rode on a bay horse, Cas – _his mate_ – in his arms.

After the whole confusing event of introducing Cas to Sam – in which Castiel had hid behind him, terrified of his giant of a brother, he’d ordered the whole group to take Gordon and villagers’ stolen loot back to the village. He’d followed behind in his wolf form, half supporting a shaky Castiel. It looked like Cas had been tied up for a long time – he was so weak he could hardly move. Dean’s blood boiled when he remembered the state he’d found Cas in.

He’d originally thought that Cas was kidnapped from the village, but the other wolf denied it. Castiel had looked around nervously when he’d first gotten out of the wagon, but once he saw Ugly Grey’s corpse, he’d wept in relief. From his disjointed thoughts, Dean managed to understand that Ugly Grey had kidnapped Castiel a long time ago, and had hurt him – badly. Cas didn’t offer any more details, and Dean knew not to push him.

Sam, bless his little heart, had taken over Dean’s position as leader of the group. He’d arranged the loots to be returned to its rightful, grateful owners, then he’d lead their group back home. Dean hadn’t even gotten the chance to express his concern that Cas wouldn’t be able to run all the way back with them when Sam had informed him that he’d borrowed a horse from a farmer, so Dean and Cas can make their way back to the castle in a more leisurely pace.

At first, Dean was really unsure of this whole mating thing. But Cas said he had nowhere else to go, and so Dean resolved to take Cas home with him first. He could figure the rest later.

So here he was now, slowly riding home. Cas looked drowned in oversized tunic and pants. When they had shifted back to their human form in the village, Dean had offered the clothes to him, and Cas just looked at the clothes, confused. But then he’d accepted it with a teary thank you. Dean’s heart twisted at the memory. No one should react like that to basic comforts. He was irrationaly happy he’d been the one who killed Ugly Grey.

Cas hadn’t spoken much. He still looked so overwhelmed, and Dean could understand that. But he wanted to get to know his mate, damnit.

“Cas?”

The omega jerked in his arms, and turned to look at him. Cas still had that haunted, scared look in his eyes. Dean wanted nothing more than to reassure him.

“Yes, Dean?”

God, his voice was so gravelly. He’s glad to see that Cas had stopped calling him ‘alpha’. It was a little improvement for the better.

“Umm... What do you think? Of... of us? Do you want it?”

Cas hesitated, before he lowered his eyes demurely, and said “I want this, Dean.”

The response should made Dean happy, but somehow he sensed that Cas wasn’t completely telling the truth.

So he said as gently as possible, “Castiel. Please, don’t be afraid to tell me what you’re really thinking,” Cas flinched at that, and started to curl in on himself, as if he was afraid Dean would strike him for his dishonesty. “I swear, on my honor, I won’t hurt you. Please, Cas. I honestly just want to know your opinion. Please don’t say things because you think that’s what I want to hear.”

Cas meekly looked at him, and Dean offered him a reassuring smile. Cas searched his face for something – Dean didn’t know what – before he nodded.

“I’m scared. I don’t know you. I don’t know what you want... I just...” he broke off, and took shuddering breaths. “I just don’t know.”

Cas ducked his head again, and closed his eyes. Dean moved his arms around his stomach, securing Cas better. The horse’s movements was familiar to him, but from Cas’s demeanor, he knew Cas hadn’t spend a lot of time around horses. Which reminds him...

“Are you sore? Do you want to get some rest?” Dean offered. “Our destination isn’t that far ahead, only a couple of hours. But we’ve been riding since morning... Do you want to have lunch? Shit, are you hungry? I’m sorry, I should’ve asked.” Dean knew he was rambling. It was one of his nervous habits.

Cas looked confused, and then he looked overwhelmed, so Dean shut himself up.

“Umm... Can we take a break? Please?” Cas asked slowly.

“Sure!”

~*:*:*:*~

His mate had packed a blanket, which he’d spread on the grass off the path. The horse was tethered to a tree not far to their side. Castiel lounged on the blanket, and tried to get his mind in order. He’d been in a constant state of confusion and shock since yesterday.

Master was dead. Apparently, he was... free. Or, as free as an omega could ever be. He had unexpectedly meet his mate, and so far, it looked like Dean was nothing like Master. He’d been kind and attentive, and surprisingly patient with Castiel. He knew he wasn’t the smartest or the most attractive omega, so he was endlessly grateful that Dean hadn’t expressed any desire to hurt him in any way.

Castiel was also surprised at himself. He didn’t know what to expect, but still, he was surprised when he found himself _trusting_ Dean. He had never given his trust easily, even before... before Master.

“Cas?”

That was yet another source of confusion. _Cas?_ Where did that came from? “Yes, Dean?”

“Umm... do you not like the sandwich? We can hunt, if that’s what you prefer...”

With a jolt, he realized he’d just been staring at the lunch in his hands. He didn’t want to offend Dean, who had taken the time and effort to pack them a meal, so he quickly bit down. The flavors burst in his mouth, and he moaned. He couldn’t remember the last time he ate something do delicious. Master usually just gave him scraps to eat.

He heard chuckling, and looked up from his sandwich. “I take it you like it?”

Blushing from his lack of manners, he nodded. “Yes. Thank you for feeding me, Dean.”

Dean looked surprised, then sad. Castiel wondered what had he done wrong. He startled when Dean took his hand, and looked at him solemnly. “It was my pleasure to provide for you, Cas. I promise to be the perfect mate for you.”

Castiel tilted his head as he considered the alpha in front of him. He was glad his mate was the kind of alpha who was more protective than possessive. It seemed like Dean _was_ the perfect mate for him. Granted, Castiel didn’t have high standards. As long as his mate didn’t treat him like Master did, he was happy. But Castiel knew all about the story of the shifters’ creation. He knew that half of his soul was this man in front of him. He knew that even if his own soul was cracked and broken, Dean’s would will in all the gaps. So he told the alpha seriously. “You are.”

Dean blushed, and dropped his hand. He let out an uneasy laugh. “Thanks, Cas. That was kind of you to say that.”

Castiel frowned. He had really meant what he said. But he didn’t dare to contradict Dean, so he just ate his sandwich quickly.

“So, I was thinking...” Dean started between bites. “Maybe we can get to know each other better? I can tell you some things about me... and vice versa...” he trailed off with a hopeful smile.

Castiel could feel his wolf perked up at the thought. He found himself nodding to the suggestion.

Dean laughed. “Okay... I can start? Is there anything you want to know about me?”

_How do you want me to behave?_

That was the question he had been dying to ask. Did his mate wanted him barefoot and pregnant? Or did Dean want him naked and kneeling at his feet? Will Dean ever share him, or use him for favors? Castiel didn’t think the last one was possible. Alphas were ridiculously possessive, and he knew once a shifter found his/her mate, they would never want another. But, still... he could still attract unmated ones, like Master’s friends...

“Cas?”

Dean’s concerned voice cut through his musings. Castiel collected himself. “Whatever you wish to tell me is fine, Dean.”

Dean looked hesitant again, but then he started. “Okay. Feel free to cut me at any time. If you want to ask questions, just ask, okay? I tend to ramble...” When he saw Castiel nodded, he started. “My name is Dean Winchester...”

Castiel stiffled a gasp at that. He knew that name. Dean gave him a wry smile. “Yeah, my father is John Winchester, and he’s the Pack Alpha. Are you from our territory?”

Castiel shook his head, but didn’t elaborate. When it became clear that he wouldn’t get a response, Dean continued. “I have two brothers. You’ve met Sam...”

Castiel shuddered at the memory. Dean’s brother was so huge and intimidating.

Dean chuckled, “He is a big guy, but he’s just a puppy inside. Trust me. My younger brother was with us, too. But he departed earlier... so I didn’t get to introduce you guys... Anyways. I’m 22 years old. I mainly hunt for the pack, but I can also do a few other things... I love horses, though it’s kinda weird for a shifter. I’ve had my own thoroughbreed, and she’s my baby. I love riding her. She’s so different from this bay horse. Umm... what else?”

Castiel found Dean’s voice strangely comforting. He didn’t want the alpha to stop. Besides, everything he said was interesting. “Tell me about your home? Please?”

Dean smiled at him. “I live in the castle with my family, it’s the headquarters of our pack. It’s pretty far from the beach, which is a shame, but on the plus side it wasn’t sandy, and the weather isn’t as hot. It’s usually like this, a little windy, but not too hot in the summers. The winters can get pretty cold, but we’re not that far north, so... Anyway, I hope you’re going to love it... but if you want, we can live somewhere else. I’ll go with you, wherever you wish.”

Castiel was touched by the admission. He blinked his tears away, before shakily asking, “You would?”

“Yeah Cas,” Dean’s smile was tender and... dare he said it? _Loving_. “You’re my mate. Technically my other half. I don’t want to be separated from you.”

“But...” Cas find himself at loss of words.

“Can’t you feel it?”

Castiel somehow knew Dean was reffering to this... bond between them. Castiel knew it wasn’t as profound as a full soul-bond yet. A mating ceremony needed to be conducted to cement it. But from what he already felt, Castiel knew it was something he would really cherish.

So he nodded. “Yes, Dean. I can feel it.”

~*:*:*:*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Dean and Cas are OOC as fuck. Oh well, what do you think? Please comment and give kudos ;)


	6. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lesser Celandine: Joys to come

_ _

_Hands were everywhere, pulling, touching..._

_Castiel was bent over a desk. Master was inviting many people today, so he took Castiel out of the basement, and tied his arms to the far corners of Master’s work desk, while his ankles was chained to the desk legs, leaving him bent over, spreadeagled._

_“Isn’t my omega pretty?” Master chuckled. “Such a needy slut, too. He’d take anything you give him.”_

_A chorus of appreciative laughter filled the room. Castiel shivered, frightened. Master had tied a black cloth over his eyes, so he couldn’t see what was going on around him. Whatever it was, he knew he wouldn’t like it._

_“And I, as a generous host, had prepared him for your entertainment. He’s all yours, now. Please remember not to do any permanent harm.”_

_Castiel started hyperventilating, as a fat, smelly alpha mounted him from behind. Another was grabbing his head, and without any delay the alpha shoved his big, fat cock down Castiel’s throat. Castiel gagged and coughed, but the alpha paid no heed to his distress as he fucked Castiel’s mouth in abbadon._

_He couldn’t breathe. It was hard, but he finally figured out how to breathe through his nose. The alphas over him laughed as they abused him all night long, rotating between themselves. Before long, Castiel could feel himself slipping, his mind shutting down from the horrors subjected to his body. He felt like he was watching the whole event through a stranger’s eyes. It wasn’t his mouth that dark-skinned alpha was knotting, effectively gagging him. It wasn’t his hole that was speared through with two cocks at once. It wasn’t his hands that was jerking another alpha off. It just wasn’t him. And for that, he was grateful._

_Deeper and deeper into trance he fell. Until a sharp, burning sensation jerked him into reality._

~*:*:*:*~

Castiel jerked awake with a terrified gasp. A looming figure was crouching over him, hands outstretched. Whimpering, he curled up in on himself, and braced for the pain to come.

It took some time before he realized the dreaded touch didn’t come. The roaring in his ears subsided, and he can hear a soft litany of “You’re okay, Cas. It’s just me. I won’t hurt you. It’s safe.”

Blinking confusedly, his vision cleared, and he saw the almost familiar face of his mate.

Dean and Castiel had arrived at the castle late at night four days ago. Since then, Castiel’s days had taken a drastic turn from when he’d been locked up in Master’s cellar. Dean had spent the last few days showing him the ropes of the castle. He’d been introduced to ‘the important people’, as Dean had put it. To be honest, Castiel was having a hard time to remember who is who. Plus, most of the wolves scared him. But Dean was glaring at anyone who came too close, so Castiel managed to keep his panic mostly at bay.

Then Dean had taken him on a tour around the castle. It wasn’t overly large, but the layout of the building is complicated enough that he couldn’t remember his way around yet. But at the very least he knew how to get to his quarters, the banquet hall, and the toilet.

When they’d first arrived, Dean had wanted to give him his own quarters. But Castiel was very uneasy being on his own in this strange new place. Although he wouldn’t say that he loved Dean yet, he instinctively trusted him. And in this overwhelming situation he was in, Dean was a comforting presence he prefered to have by his side. So when Dean asked him whether he wanted to stay with him or not, Castiel had readily agreed. The fact that Dean had promised not to lay with him unless he wanted to was very comforting thought.

These facts registered in his mind as he slowly calmed down.

Slowly, he looked up, and saw familiar worried, green eyes. “Dean?” he rasped, voice scratchy from screaming.

Dean looked relieved. “Hey, Cas. You with me?”

Frowning in confusion, he replied, “Of course, Dean. I’m with you, here.”

“No, that’s not what I meant,” Dean chuckled. “But never mind that. What were you dreaming about?”

Dean started to run his fingers through Castiel’s hair, and Castiel closed his eyes at that, focusing on the comforting strokes, as he tried to fight the last tendrils of terror.

“My past,” Castiel whispered finally, when he felt calm enough.

He heard Dean sigh, and he instantly felt wary. Was Dean mad at him for not telling his mate details about his past? He’d only known the man less than a week. He’d only been free from Master less than a week. It was too soon for him. He wasn’t ready to divulge this past. Dean had never tried to force him to do anything, so far. Had he finally reached the end of Dean’s patience?

“I’m so sorry, Cas,” Dean murmured, as he kept stroking him. “I wish I can hurt him worse, for what he did.”

Castiel didn’t know what to answer to that, so he just nodded.

“Do you want to get back to sleep? It’s not even dawn yet...”

He contemplated the question. He was shaken, true, but he thought that if Dean kept stroking him, kept his arms around him, and if Castiel could shift a little, so his nose was burried in Dean’s neck, where Dean’s unique scent of sun, salt, and wet bark was strongest, he would be able to relax enough to fall back asleep. Already, his heartbeat was slowing, his harsh breathing was gradually getting softer.

So he nodded, and felt Dean pulled them down. Castiel wiggled around until he was comfortable, and he let Dean’s rhythmic stroking lulled him back to sleep.

~*:*:*:*~

“So... have you give any thought of the ceremony, dear?”

Mary’s gentle voice pulled Castiel out of his daydream. Dean had a meeting with his father today, and he had left Castiel with his mother today. Of all the wolves in Dean’s pack he’d encountered, Castiel was most comfortable with Mary. Perhaps it was because the older omega could emit soothing hormones that worked wonders on Castiel’s frayed nerves. Perhaps it was because when Dean had introduced Castiel to his father’s court, everyone had _stared_ at him, judging him. But Mary had immediately sensed his distress, and pulled him into a hug. Thankfully she had pretended not to notice how he flinched away from her. She had accepted him with literally open arms.

Or perhaps, it was because Mary was so... _motherly_. For someone who was as affection-deprived as Castiel, she was a Godsend.

Castiel was confused, and apparently it showed in his face, because Mary laughed and elaborated. “Your and Dean’s mating ceremony, Castiel. Have you thought about it?”

“Oh... yes, Lady.”

“Hush. None of that, dear. Please, just call me Mary, or Mom, if you want to.”

Castiel was touched. “Okay... Mom.”

It was said in a hesitant whisper, but Mary beamed at him like she was genuinely pleased to hear his response. She was so different from what he can remember of his own mother. She was full of warmth and love, which she freely gave to everyone around her.

“So...”

The both of them were in Mary’s flower garden. It was a beautiful and private, with a white gazebo in the center. They were strolling along the wood and stone path towards it. According to Dean, Mary spent so much time in her garden, that he wasn’t sure if her rose, mint, and cherry scent was her own scent, or it was the garden’s. Anyway, it was one of the best scents Castiel had ever smelled.

“Back to the topic. What are your plans?”

Castiel was surprised. To be honest, he _had_ thought about it. He knew that a ceremony was needed in order to cement their bond. But he had thought that as an omega, his job was only to show up in a mating gown, bared his neck, and spread his legs. Especially since it turned out that Dean was a prince. He was so far below Dean’s class, that it seemed outrageous that his input was even considered.

But Mary was smiling expectantly at him, waiting for his answer.

“I... I don’t know, La-Mom,” he whispered, shy. “I don’t think my opinion matters.”

“Oh, honey,” Mary said sadly. “Of course it matters. It’s your ceremony, as much as it’s Dean’s. In fact, here, the omega is the one who plans the event.”

Castiel was surprised to hear that. “I honestly didn’t know that.”

Mary laughed. “Well, now that you do, will you start planning? I wish to help you, if you’d allow it.”

“O-of course,” Castiel stuttered, nervous. It was so strange that Mary would ask for his permission to help him. Especially when it was painfully obvious he was clueless. Useless.

“Wonderful! Now, how about we start right now?”

~*:*:*:*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please see [my notes](http://archiveofourown.org/series/428683) for more details on the universe.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dogsbane: Deceit, falsehood
> 
> Please see [my notes](http://archiveofourown.org/series/428683) for more details on the universe.

“I’m telling you, they aren’t the Novaks! They’re Crowley’s wolves!”

“The hell they are! They come from the east! And their path ran along the northern border!”

“Crowley can easily instruct his wolves to do that, to make us think it’s the Novaks. That bastard is slimy.”

Bobby snorted. “Why go to so much trouble? He’s not on friendly terms with us, anyway.”

“Because,” Rufus throws his hands up, exasperated. “He’ll want us to suspect the Novaks, that’s why!”

“What would he gain by that?” John interjected, voice calm. “Our treaty with the Novaks is sound. And we know they will never win a war against us. Our numbers far surpasses theirs.”

“I don’t know! But I’m telling you, it’s his doing!” Rufus insisted.

Dean sighed. Between Rufus and Bobby, the paranoid duo had come up on many crazy theories on the raids. Turned out, the raid Dean and his friends had thwarted wasn’t the only one. During the last four days since he’d returned, no less than seven terrified wolves had came to the castle, all bearing news of their destroyed settlements.

The map indicated that the raiders, whoever they were, were moving from the east, attacking small settlements in their northern territory.

“Why aren’t we assuming that the raiders come from the Great North?” he asked, joking.

“Because the Ridgeback Mountains is impassable, boy,” Bobby snapped. “And we don’t even know if there’s _life_ there, let alone wolves.”

The Ridgeback Mountains were sheer, tall, cliffs. Long ago, Dean’s ancestor had tried to expand their territory to the north. They had tried scaling the mountains, drilling through a pass, even building an underground tunnel, but they had failed. Eventually, tales of the failed expansion had been passed from generation to generation, blown out of proportion with dramatics, as spoken lore tend to be. Pups nowadays believed that their ancestors had faced immovable rock golems, thick walking forests, and thus had been defeated by nature. They believed that there was nothing in the Great North, but a whole load of trouble.

When Dean had been a pup himself, it had been his favorite fairytale. He, Jo, and Sam would run around, climbing over tables and chairs, pretending they were in an adventure in the mountains.

Dean raised his hands in defeat. “Kidding, Bobby.”

Bobby glared at him for a moment, before turning to face Rufus again. “Nonetheless, we must protect ourselves. I’ll be damned if I let those thugs parading through our territory unopposed.”

“Of course,” John readily agreed. “But I don’t think sending more wolves to neutralize them is going to be effective. The Novaks, or Crowley,” he added, glancing at Rufus, “Can always send more.”

“Why don’t we attack them, like we did with Dean,” Rufus began, “but we let a few escape? Then we can follow them back to wherever they came from, and cut the snake from the head, so to speak.”

Bobby snorted. “You’re just assuming they’re going to run home to mommy with their tails between their legs once we hit them?”

Dean had to agree with that one. “They’re thugs and bandits. They are tougher than that.”

“Not if we capture some of them, persuade them to talk, and if their mouth is firmly shut, we let them escape,” Rufus suggested.

Bobby was already shaking his head. “Nah. It’s too assuming, Rufus.”

This is exactly why Dean hated meetings with them. Bobby and Rufus always talk in their own lingo, confusing the hell out of Dean and giving him a headache until they agreed on whatever it was they were debating on.

“All in all,” John cut in again. “I think we can agree that we’d have to send parties like Dean’s.”

Dean perked up at that. “I’ll go.”

John shook his head. “No, you can’t.” Seeing the look of rebellion across Dean’s face, he quickly interjected. “You can’t leave your mate. Not now.”

Dean narrowed his eyes. “His name is Castiel.”

Somehow, Dean got the impression that his father disapproves of Cas. During the last few days since he’d been here, John hadn’t made any attempt to get to know his mate. Of course, it was obvious that Castiel was still very skittish around others, with Mary and Dean as the exception. But the way John wouldn’t even _try,_ wouldn’t even spoke his name, when they all knew that one day in the distant future Cas would lead the pack along with Dean, spoke volumes of his opinion on Cas.

John shrugged it off, and Dean had had enough. “Why are you acting like this, Dad?”

Bobby and Rufus went silent. John looked at Dean through narrowed, hard eyes. “What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean,” Dean replied in a low voice.

He didn’t want to discuss this in front of Bobby and Rufus, but he couldn’t let his father treated his mate condescendingly much longer. He knew that his father had expected his mate to be someone strong, though gentle. Someone who can be a source of calm in a storm. Someone like his mother, who was the perfect Pack Omega.

Apparently, John was thinking along the same lines. “Bobby, Rufus. Leave us.”

Bobby and Rufus exchanged meaningful glances, before wordlessly they left John’s office. John sat down on his work chair, and regarded Dean carefully.

“Dad, I just don’t understand,” Dean started, trying to keep a respectful tone. “Castiel is my mate. I know he isn’t the perfect omega, but...”

“The problem is,” John intercepted. “He isn’t even a stable human being.”

Dean jerked back as if he’d been slapped. “ _What_?!”

John made an inpatient noise from his throat. “Come now, son. Let’s not sugarcoat this. Your mate can’t even be in the presence of others without cowering. How can he be expected to do his duties as Pack Omega?”

Unlike in other territories, where omegas were regarded as a lesser being, the Winchester’s Pack Omega had his or her duties. John may be the leader, who made decisions and rules and such, but Mary’s role was equally vital. She was in charge of their pack’s day-to-day survival. And in times of conflict, she would be the calming force.

If Dean was honest with himself, he really couldn’t imagine Castiel calming down two fighting pups, much less a room full of angry, agitated alphas. His mate was still too fragile, too afraid. But Dean knew that he was getting better, even if his progress was miniscule. He understood that his mate needed time. John couldn’t seem to understand that.

“He’s stronger than you think, Dad,” Dean replied. “He just need some time to adjust. He’d been through hell, for God’s sake! At least show him some sympathy! He’s my mate, and he’s not going anywhere!”

John glared at him, but before he could retort, the door opened, and Mary walked in.

“What are you boys fighting about?”

She was obviously emitting calming hormones, as Dean could feel himself relaxing. John gave him a pointed look, which Dean can translate easily enough. _See?_ His father seemed to say. _Can your mate do this?_

“It’s nothing, Mom,” Dean sighed.

Mary tsked. “You know I heard you just now, right?”

Dean looked down, embarrassed. Then he felt his mother’s hand resting on his biceps, and he looked to her calm green eyes, identical to his.

“Dean,” Mary said softly. “Let’s take a walk, shall we?”

~*:*:*:*~

“Aren’t you supposed to be with Cas?”

They were sitting in a windowsill. Mary was leaning against the stone walls behind her, looking through the glass panels at the forest behind their castle. It was a beautiful summer day out, and Dean knew that Castiel and his mother had planned on spending it in the garden.

“He’s tired, so I sent him back to take a nap. He isn’t used to activity,” Mary said gently.

Dean nodded. Even though he knew very little of Cas’s past, he knew that he’d spent years locked up. He was glad to see his mother so understanding, but then again, Mary was a very considerate person.

“Your father isn’t a bad man, Dean,” Mary began. “He is simply concerned. I know that he doesn’t act like it, but he had accepted Castiel as your mate.”

Dean snorted at that. A bond between mates was unique. It couldn’t be broken. Destiny had decreed that Castiel was the one for Dean, and John could either accept it or be disappointed for the rest of his life. His father was many things, but he wasn’t stupid.

“That’s just it, Mom. He is looking at Cas’s merits, the benefits on having Cas as my mate. Cas isn’t a thing! He’s the one who taught me that omegas aren’t slaves or assets.”

Dean knew he was close to whining, but he didn’t care. It was Mary, after all. He could whine to his own mother all he wanted, damnit.

“You know he is always wary around strangers,” Mary said with a small smile. “Just give him time. He’ll come around.”

“What if he doesn’t?” Dean asked.

The smile Mary gave him was positively mischievous. “Oh, he will.” She winked at him. “Now, I need to ask you some things. I actually was looking for you.”

Dean tilted his head, curious. “What do you want to talk about?”

“I’ve talked to Castiel about the ceremony.”

At that, Dean groaned. “Mom! He’s not ready!”

Mary’s eyes turned stony. “Actually, he had set a date.”

“Oh?” Dean said suspiciously.

“I swear, I didn’t push him into anything, Dean.” Mary snapped. “Have a little faith.”

Dean snickered. “I didn’t say anything!”

Mary leveled him an unamused stare. “As I was saying, he had decided. You’re going to be bonded two weeks from now.”

~*:*:*:*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos really made my day! Please tell me, what do you want from this story? I'm in danger of having a writer's block, and I really need some inputs... pretty please?


	8. Chapter 8

“Why so soon?” Dean murmured.

He and Castiel were in their room. Dean was cleaning his sword, while Castiel was reading a book he’d borrowed from Sam. They had recently discovered that Cas apparently loved reading. It was one of the few things that calmed him down.

At that, Cas timidly looked up from his book, and tilted his head in confusion. Dean found that he looked so innocent, and adorable. “What?”

Dean cleared his throat. “My mom... she said that you picked a date. For our bonding ceremony.”

Cas looked down, blushing. “Yes...”

“Not that I have a problem with it or anything,” Dean hurried to assure him. “But I was just wondering... I thought you are not ready.”

The last part was said gently, as Dean had put down his sword and took Cas’s hand instead. Castiel was still flushed, but a happy scent was starting to come off of him.

“I... I don’t know if I’m ready or not,” Cas admitted. “But I know that you... you make me... feel safe, and happy,” he whispered timidly, looking up at Dean through his lashes. On him, the gesture wasn’t coy or seductive, instead he looked insecure.

Dean smiled. “I’m glad you feel that way.”

Cas returned his smile. “I was thinking that there is no need to delay the bonding... it’s inevitable anyway. I would have it done today, if I could... but your mother said that as the heir, your bonding ceremony needs to be... _ceremonial_. She said they need time to prepare... to invite the _guests_.”

From his tone, it was clear that Cas was appehensive of the prospect of a crowd.

Dean snorted. “Figures. It’s just formalities, Cas. If you want, we can bond right here, right now. Just you and me. What do you say?”

Dean was sincere, there was no doubt about that. If Cas would say the word, he’d bit his mate, and mate him right now. Traditions be damned.

But Cas was already shaking his head. “No. Your mother said that your mating should be a formal event of the pack. I don’t want...”

Cas trailed off, unable to properly express his feelings.

Dean simply nodded. “Whatever you wish, Cas.”

~*:*:*:*~

The castle had been very busy since then, preparing for the bonding ceremony. As an alpha, Dean was supposed to sit back and let his omega handle the preparations. But on the first day, after a completely overwhelmed Cas had a panic attack in his arms, Dean put his foot down, and helped his mate-to-be. And he himself was starting to get overwhelmed.

There was just too many _choices_ to make, from the menu, to the cake, to the flowers, to the color of the ink they would be using in the formal invitation. Even though Cas was very reluctant to divulge his past with Dean, he knew enough, he saw enough. Dean immediately understood why Cas was panicking. Before Dean had found him, all Castiel had to do was mindlessly obey every order given to him. The only choice he could make was either to scream or to be silent. Now, all of a sudden, people hounded him endlessly with questions like whether he preffered ivory or gold for the napkins.

In all honestly, Dean thought this was a good practise for Cas, to further ease him into normal, daily life in the castle. So far, his mate had been spending most of his time hiding in their quarters. But he knew that it was too much, too soon.

Thankfully, Mary had been a great help. Dean knew his mother was very excited for the ceremony, but she also respected Cas’s supposed role as the bride, and had agreed with Dean that this was a great therapy for Cas. So between them, they worked a system to make sure that the ceremony preparations wasn’t too stressful for Cas’s admitedly still fragile constitution.

Mary fielded everything, taking such a huge load off Cas’s back. She narrowed everything down to two or three choices, and sent them to Cas and Dean. Dean did his best to get Cas to make the final say in everything, but Cas’s submissiveness proved to be a challenge. Dean was hard pressed to get Cas to say what he truly wanted, instead of what he thought Dean, or everyone else, wanted. There were some occasions when Dean almost snapped at his mate-to-be, but he managed to restrain himself.

Finally, every preparation was finished on time. Mary was extremely pleased, and she made sure to compliment Cas over and over again on his choices. Dean knew Cas was just relieved that the preparations were done.

They were ready to be bonded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the looong hiatus. I've been very busy with DCBB and my studies... I'll still be busy until mid-October, so expect little update till then. I'm also hitting a writer's block, especially with the second part of the story. To be honest, 90% of the story was written MONTHS ago, but I had wanted to continued until a certain point, but I just couldn't write an acceptable story. In the end I scraped it off, polished it a bit, and just update. 
> 
> Oh, my DCBB is titled 'Howling Wolves Seldom Bite'. It will be uploaded on Oct 12th!   
> Kudos and comments are my meals! Don't starve me ;)


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